Little things can make a big difference

One of my Facebook friends shared this article about a woman who waves at the high school students as they pass her window-and the huge surprise they gave her as a thank you. She didn't do anything major, just smiled and waved from her window as they passed by. Yet, she had a major impact on these young people. She had enough impact that they arranged to thank her for her thoughtfulness.

A video I saw a while back had a similar theme, about someone who did some little things which turned into big things. This young man assisted a disabled friend so that the friend could participate in a triathlon. It wasn't easy, but it made them both feel wonderful.

The story of the boy throwing starfish back into the sea gives us the same message. Doing little things can make a major difference in the life of an individual.There are hundreds of people all around us, just like the hundreds of starfish on the beach, and we can make a difference for the one, whether that one is in your family, among your friends, or a stranger you encounter.

The Boy Scout slogan is "Do a Good Turn Daily!" How different our world would be if we would each follow that slogan. The woman who waved did countless good turns with her wave and her smile. The young man that helped his disabled friend touched many lives. The boy throwing the starfish saved many lives. One of the things I love about Facebook is the many uplifting articles, pictures, and stories that my friends share. Many bring tears to my eyes as I see the goodness in the world around me. These friends who are sharing are touching my life and helping me see the good.

My step-daughter gave me a cute booklet about manners in the 19th century for Christmas. It is amazing how important it was to be thoughtful of others. It is sad how often we ignore that old-fashioned attitude. If we were to adopt it again, how much more smoothly our lives would go. Thoughtfulness acts as a lubricant to decrease the friction in relationships, intimate and casual.

So many people have an attitude that everything around them should be structured for their own convenience. We pick the wrong line-it goes too slowly. We pick the wrong cashier-he is too slow. We are so focused on ourselves we forget to be nice or polite or respectful of those who are waiting on us, helping us, or simply standing in line with us. We know of many who speak loudly on their cell phones so that others are required to listen to their conversations. Their convenience is more important than our peace of mind. We see parents trying to teach their children how to behave in public and make nasty comments when the child is simply behaving as any child/toddler of that age would, forgetting that that was once us-maybe very long ago.

There is a hymn that asks us if we have "cheered up the sad, made someone feel glad" and that is a great question to ask each day. Have we done any good? We should make an effort to do something good daily. That service will make us feel better. Even if that service is simply smiling and waving. Share your smile today :)